Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s (D-NM) campaign confirmed that the New Mexico Democrat is engaged to a former Biden administration appointee, as questions surrounding his past and present relationships drew renewed attention following a report examining his personal life.
Vasquez, a second-term Democrat representing New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, has generally kept details of his private life out of the public spotlight.
However, a report published this week detailed a timeline involving a previous relationship that included a wedding-style ceremony that never resulted in a legal marriage.
According to the report, Vasquez listed teacher Maria Fatima Batres as his fiancée on official paperwork while serving on the Las Cruces City Council in 2017.
The pair later held a ceremony in September 2018 at a wedding venue in Tulum, Mexico.
Friends and family reportedly attended the event and shared photographs online under the hashtag “#OnCloudVasquez.”
Photographs from the event showed the couple dressed in wedding attire and posing with what appeared to be a marriage certificate.
Despite the ceremony, no public records of a legal marriage or subsequent divorce between Vasquez and Batres were identified.
A spokesperson for Vasquez’s campaign said the two participated in a private commitment ceremony but were never legally married.
“The two participated in a private commitment ceremony but were never legally married and eventually separated,” the spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
Family photographs posted online suggested the couple remained together through at least late 2019.
By late 2020, however, Batres no longer appeared in family photographs posted by Vasquez’s mother, according to the report.
The report also identified Vasquez’s current fiancée as Nikki Santos, a former Biden administration political appointee with ties to Democratic organizations, per the Daily Mail.
A campaign spokesperson confirmed that Vasquez is in a “loving, committed relationship with his partner and fiancée.”
According to campaign finance records cited in the report, Santos appeared in records connected to Vasquez’s congressional campaign.
The report stated that Santos was reimbursed for a rental car and appeared in records related to a campaign dinner in Washington.
Social media posts also showed Santos appearing alongside Vasquez and members of his family by late 2021.
The timeline attracted attention because of Santos’ divorce proceedings from her former husband, Joshua Pitre.
Court records cited in the report showed a dispute over the exact date of the couple’s separation.
Santos initially listed Dec. 22, 2021, as the separation date, while Pitre identified Jan. 2, 2022.
A divorce judgment was ultimately filed in November 2022 after both parties agreed on the later date.
The report also examined Santos’ departure from the Aspen Institute, where she previously worked with the Center for Native American Youth.
Questions regarding an extended leave of absence taken by Santos in 2024 were noted in the report.
Neither Vasquez nor Santos was accused of wrongdoing.
Vasquez is expected to seek re-election in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which political analysts currently rate as leaning Democratic.
The congressman’s campaign has not indicated that the attention surrounding his personal life will affect his plans for the upcoming election cycle.
